One thing I think you should add to the pros (for cash-strapped people especially) is that it can convert an ebook cover to a paperback cover without buying extra. It's not perfect but it works well enough that it's a good option if you need to pinch pennies. 🙂
I dipped my toe into D2D a while back, just to get my paperback into libraries. I found them confusing, difficult to work with, and never did get my book into any library. When they announced the imposition of fees, that was the last straw. I deleted my book and walked away. Perhaps I didn't do things correctly in some way and caused my own problems. But they were singularly unhelpful, so I finally walked.
Perhaps I will try them again some day. Amazon's A10 has effectively killed Kindle/KDP for indie authors. Perhaps being distributed through D2D might work better... Though, based on my earlier, if limited experience, I'm skeptical.
"D2D Print can still make a lot of sense for authors who want simplicity, especially if they’re already using the platform for ebooks." D2D has been the way for me because Im not that concerned with publishing. Im more interested in writing, so the simplicity has been wonderful. Thanks for breaking everything down. I'm even happier with my choice to leave Amazon altogether.
I really can't recommend them. I am starting to get my paperback into bookstores. Initially, I purchased my own ISBN's, but had an issue with my first book's cover when D2D sent me a proof. It was terrible. I never published the book with D2D directly, but when I tried to list it on Ingram, I had to go through the ISBN transfer process - which is not super fun.
But after that experience (I spoke to IBPA and Alli), I learned what the boundaries were. My next book has been happily available with the same ISBN on Amazon and D2D for a couple of years. Since I'm on KU, can't say there's been any real opportunities to promote my books. I thought maybe the library stuff would be a help, and wanted to figure out how to do that...
My 3rd and 4th books, since I also made special versions using BookVault, I just used the free ISBN's on D2D for the standard B&W copies. But in the past few months, we've started to target bookstores, so I reached out to D2D and asked whether I could change the free ones to my Bowker purchased ISBN's, which is the more professional way of distributing paperbacks. (I was kinda already unhappy that I couldn't negate publishing to Amazon the way you can at PublishDrive and Blurb - resulting in 2 versions of the same book on Amazon at diff price points. It's not ideal)
Instead of helping me, though, I got the same question over and over again via email. Because I said I thought I only used the free ones for my recent books because I had a difficult time with my first book - having to go through the transfer process. And the person just kept emailing the same thing over and over again and saying (about WHAT BLOCK? on the ISBN - and I kept saying: there's NO BLOCK, this was a past experience) that if I didn't want to go through the transfer process, I should just leave the free ISBN.
After going through the same song and dance at least 3-4 times via email, they started ALSO asking where else I had published the book. I was like look, that's not the issue. I just need you to change the ISBN to the one I purchased so I can have every (same) black & white copy orderable by the same ONE ISBN. And I just couldn't get there with the support person. They acted like they knew more than me about it all AND WOULD NOT EVEN TRY to change the ISBN because they just knew it wasn't going to work.
I don't claim to know all the things about indie publishing, but I lived this nightmare the first time out, so I knew SOME things.
I basically told them I would be delisting my books, but I had to wait for my recently ordered author copies to arrive before I could do so. So I went into wait mode.
But I also decided to log a general ticket complaining that the service was really subpar and that they weren't HELPING Indies be more professional by discouraging the use of paid-for ISBN's. At that time the person responded and told me that you can't use an ISBN on Amazon and D2D - even if you don't select "expanded distribution". They'd only seen it happen 1 time after the author fought for 3 months to get it to work.
I screencapped my second book's ISBN on both sites and sent it to them - same ISBN on Amazon and D2D. I didn't have to do anything special. I just followed what the IBPA told me... Don't select "expanded distribution" on Amazon - and it should be fine.
I can tell you if you've ever input your ISBN into ANY Ingram (middleman) form and then try to go to another Ingram middleman - you get to the part where you try to submit with the ISBN and the whole submission is REJECTED. It's very obvious, it won't take, and you have to remove the ISBN number to save the form.
The transfer process isn't so terrible, it just takes however long it takes, and that could be a month. And in the meantime, you're waiting and asking and you get the same answer that it could take a month and it's always the other middleman's fault.
But D2D would apparently rather us stay locked into some fractured ISBN mess - which makes us look unprofessional to bookstores - THAN HELP US navigate any of it.
When I sent the screencap of the same book, 2 sites, same ISBN, D2D didn't respond. Shocking no one...
I'm seriously unhappy about having to go through the publishing process again - re-uploading everything so I can get my books back into distribution through Ingram. And I'll either have to transfer the ISBN on my 2nd book or I'm considering making a new edition with some custom artwork like my latest 2 books - which would mean a new ISBN...
I'm pretty sure I won't miss D2D. And like Dale, I'd heard only good things - from him and Kindlepreneur. But I haven't seen it. My last author copies had inconsistent spines - the same as Amazon (I only went through 8 proofs on Amazon until they got it right...and still, most of the time they get it wrong. D2D sent me 2 that were correctly applied and 2 that were not. It's maddening. BookVault can get the cover spines applied correctly and consistently. Blurb can. D2D and Amazon? NOPE. Some are applied correctly, some are not)
Anyway, I thought others should know... But also, why the hell is this part so stinkin hard?
I was sort of interested until I read the bit about being charged for revisions to existing titles. 25 bucks? They're kidding me; even Ingram now offers unlimited free updates to your titles.
"If you’re publishing beyond D2D, you may need to manually add some missing retailer links. And for your paperback, hardcover, and audiobook iterations, you’ll need to add those links yourself."
HOW DO YOU DO THIS? I've been publishing through D2D since '21, three books now, ebook and trade paper and Apple audio, and the cost/quality of the trade paperbacks has gotten so bad I pulled them and went to IngramSpark for hardcover. I'd love to list my shopingramspark.com URLs in my UBLs. However, when I expand the Print Links, all I see is the D2D print partners, no icon for IngramSpark, and no option to add my own.
I'd love to be wrong on this. Please tell me how easy it is to add my IngramSpark hardcover listing to my existing Universal Book Link on Books2Read!
Select the retailer in the drop down for print. Then, search your book on that retailer and paste in the link. I’ve been using B2R for years this way and still use IngramSpark as my primary print distribution. The pain is searching for your books because not all retailers will stock your book just because it’s listed in Ingram’s catalog. And remember, IngramSpark is a distributor, not a retailer so you’re not looking for their name, you’re looking for the names of retailers they serve.
Correct. And I don't think D2D is going to put the IngramSpark Share & Sell link in the options 🤭
This might be helpful for you when you're publishing multiple books. I got one of the books dialed in that I published years ago. I visit EVERY possible site that Books2Read offers, searching for my book by the title, author name, series name, or sometimes the ISBN (don't use the ASIN since that's only good for Amazon).
Then when I need to update my other books or have published a new one, I open up the exhaustive list I created with the old publication, then press CTRL and click the retail link in the B2R list I created. Once that page opens, the author name and sometimes series name are clickable. I usually pick the author name, because then I can see all listings on that retailer's site. But, if I don't see the book yet, that's when I use the exact title of my book in search or the ISBN.
Just a heads up, it takes Ingram roughly six to eight weeks to ingest then feature your listing in their catalog. At that point, retailers, library distribution, and all the other buyers they reach, have the option to list your book. Some will do it right away. Others? Not so much.
And historically, libraries are ALWAYS the longest approval times and it's been hit or miss for me. Those can take upwards of several months at a time (I had one that took over half a year to appear in one of the library systems, either Hoopla or Overdrive, I can't recall).
So what I do is after a launch, I set a time every Friday to check the links (usually takes about 15-30 minutes per book). I'll check for up to three months after a launch, but after that, I just leave it go. It's not THAT important to have every single option available. haha
I really need to do a full tutorial of Books2Read. That's only ONE feature they have. The part I like most about B2R is something I totally forgot to mention: affiliate links. When you provide your affiliate ID to B2R (i.e., Amazon, Apple, Kobo, etc.), they'll put that automatically on your link in the background. And yes, it's 100% safe and compliant with affiliate programs. Will you make a LOT from including it? No, but I don't think anyone will complain about getting paid more per book, right? haha
Yeah, I think I talked myself into doing a tutorial. Stay tuned! haha And thanks for the question/good idea. 🙏
Good informative article. I've used D2D for eBooks for a few years now and am very happy with it. I didn't like the print side of it, though, due to cost issues, so I have used Amazon exclusively for print instead.
I unpublished my books on there. I don't like the double-dipping concept i.e. commission payment plus subscription. I don’t want other retailers/distributors to follow suit because poorer authors will be priced out as the subscription price increases.
thanks for such a great overview. While the 10 dollar fee is low and understabdable, at the time, the 10 dollar fee felt like a slap in the face. I'm struggling to make a profit and it just got harder.
Thanks for the great article! Very detailed
🙂
One thing I think you should add to the pros (for cash-strapped people especially) is that it can convert an ebook cover to a paperback cover without buying extra. It's not perfect but it works well enough that it's a good option if you need to pinch pennies. 🙂
True true!
I dipped my toe into D2D a while back, just to get my paperback into libraries. I found them confusing, difficult to work with, and never did get my book into any library. When they announced the imposition of fees, that was the last straw. I deleted my book and walked away. Perhaps I didn't do things correctly in some way and caused my own problems. But they were singularly unhelpful, so I finally walked.
Perhaps I will try them again some day. Amazon's A10 has effectively killed Kindle/KDP for indie authors. Perhaps being distributed through D2D might work better... Though, based on my earlier, if limited experience, I'm skeptical.
Good news is there are alternatives, so if D2D doesn’t have what you’re looking for, some other platform will.
"D2D Print can still make a lot of sense for authors who want simplicity, especially if they’re already using the platform for ebooks." D2D has been the way for me because Im not that concerned with publishing. Im more interested in writing, so the simplicity has been wonderful. Thanks for breaking everything down. I'm even happier with my choice to leave Amazon altogether.
Nice!
I really can't recommend them. I am starting to get my paperback into bookstores. Initially, I purchased my own ISBN's, but had an issue with my first book's cover when D2D sent me a proof. It was terrible. I never published the book with D2D directly, but when I tried to list it on Ingram, I had to go through the ISBN transfer process - which is not super fun.
But after that experience (I spoke to IBPA and Alli), I learned what the boundaries were. My next book has been happily available with the same ISBN on Amazon and D2D for a couple of years. Since I'm on KU, can't say there's been any real opportunities to promote my books. I thought maybe the library stuff would be a help, and wanted to figure out how to do that...
My 3rd and 4th books, since I also made special versions using BookVault, I just used the free ISBN's on D2D for the standard B&W copies. But in the past few months, we've started to target bookstores, so I reached out to D2D and asked whether I could change the free ones to my Bowker purchased ISBN's, which is the more professional way of distributing paperbacks. (I was kinda already unhappy that I couldn't negate publishing to Amazon the way you can at PublishDrive and Blurb - resulting in 2 versions of the same book on Amazon at diff price points. It's not ideal)
Instead of helping me, though, I got the same question over and over again via email. Because I said I thought I only used the free ones for my recent books because I had a difficult time with my first book - having to go through the transfer process. And the person just kept emailing the same thing over and over again and saying (about WHAT BLOCK? on the ISBN - and I kept saying: there's NO BLOCK, this was a past experience) that if I didn't want to go through the transfer process, I should just leave the free ISBN.
After going through the same song and dance at least 3-4 times via email, they started ALSO asking where else I had published the book. I was like look, that's not the issue. I just need you to change the ISBN to the one I purchased so I can have every (same) black & white copy orderable by the same ONE ISBN. And I just couldn't get there with the support person. They acted like they knew more than me about it all AND WOULD NOT EVEN TRY to change the ISBN because they just knew it wasn't going to work.
I don't claim to know all the things about indie publishing, but I lived this nightmare the first time out, so I knew SOME things.
I basically told them I would be delisting my books, but I had to wait for my recently ordered author copies to arrive before I could do so. So I went into wait mode.
But I also decided to log a general ticket complaining that the service was really subpar and that they weren't HELPING Indies be more professional by discouraging the use of paid-for ISBN's. At that time the person responded and told me that you can't use an ISBN on Amazon and D2D - even if you don't select "expanded distribution". They'd only seen it happen 1 time after the author fought for 3 months to get it to work.
I screencapped my second book's ISBN on both sites and sent it to them - same ISBN on Amazon and D2D. I didn't have to do anything special. I just followed what the IBPA told me... Don't select "expanded distribution" on Amazon - and it should be fine.
I can tell you if you've ever input your ISBN into ANY Ingram (middleman) form and then try to go to another Ingram middleman - you get to the part where you try to submit with the ISBN and the whole submission is REJECTED. It's very obvious, it won't take, and you have to remove the ISBN number to save the form.
The transfer process isn't so terrible, it just takes however long it takes, and that could be a month. And in the meantime, you're waiting and asking and you get the same answer that it could take a month and it's always the other middleman's fault.
But D2D would apparently rather us stay locked into some fractured ISBN mess - which makes us look unprofessional to bookstores - THAN HELP US navigate any of it.
When I sent the screencap of the same book, 2 sites, same ISBN, D2D didn't respond. Shocking no one...
I'm seriously unhappy about having to go through the publishing process again - re-uploading everything so I can get my books back into distribution through Ingram. And I'll either have to transfer the ISBN on my 2nd book or I'm considering making a new edition with some custom artwork like my latest 2 books - which would mean a new ISBN...
I'm pretty sure I won't miss D2D. And like Dale, I'd heard only good things - from him and Kindlepreneur. But I haven't seen it. My last author copies had inconsistent spines - the same as Amazon (I only went through 8 proofs on Amazon until they got it right...and still, most of the time they get it wrong. D2D sent me 2 that were correctly applied and 2 that were not. It's maddening. BookVault can get the cover spines applied correctly and consistently. Blurb can. D2D and Amazon? NOPE. Some are applied correctly, some are not)
Anyway, I thought others should know... But also, why the hell is this part so stinkin hard?
Thanks for sharing!
I was sort of interested until I read the bit about being charged for revisions to existing titles. 25 bucks? They're kidding me; even Ingram now offers unlimited free updates to your titles.
I wonder how much longer Ingram will allow it too. Just because they removed that update fee doesn’t mean they won’t walk that decision back.
All that to say…yeah, I’m not a fan of that fee either.
"If you’re publishing beyond D2D, you may need to manually add some missing retailer links. And for your paperback, hardcover, and audiobook iterations, you’ll need to add those links yourself."
HOW DO YOU DO THIS? I've been publishing through D2D since '21, three books now, ebook and trade paper and Apple audio, and the cost/quality of the trade paperbacks has gotten so bad I pulled them and went to IngramSpark for hardcover. I'd love to list my shopingramspark.com URLs in my UBLs. However, when I expand the Print Links, all I see is the D2D print partners, no icon for IngramSpark, and no option to add my own.
I'd love to be wrong on this. Please tell me how easy it is to add my IngramSpark hardcover listing to my existing Universal Book Link on Books2Read!
Thanks very much!
Select the retailer in the drop down for print. Then, search your book on that retailer and paste in the link. I’ve been using B2R for years this way and still use IngramSpark as my primary print distribution. The pain is searching for your books because not all retailers will stock your book just because it’s listed in Ingram’s catalog. And remember, IngramSpark is a distributor, not a retailer so you’re not looking for their name, you’re looking for the names of retailers they serve.
Ah. That's the problem, then. I can find my ebooks but not my hardcovers in all those retailers. No way to add a direct link to my IngramSpark shop.
Correct. And I don't think D2D is going to put the IngramSpark Share & Sell link in the options 🤭
This might be helpful for you when you're publishing multiple books. I got one of the books dialed in that I published years ago. I visit EVERY possible site that Books2Read offers, searching for my book by the title, author name, series name, or sometimes the ISBN (don't use the ASIN since that's only good for Amazon).
Then when I need to update my other books or have published a new one, I open up the exhaustive list I created with the old publication, then press CTRL and click the retail link in the B2R list I created. Once that page opens, the author name and sometimes series name are clickable. I usually pick the author name, because then I can see all listings on that retailer's site. But, if I don't see the book yet, that's when I use the exact title of my book in search or the ISBN.
Just a heads up, it takes Ingram roughly six to eight weeks to ingest then feature your listing in their catalog. At that point, retailers, library distribution, and all the other buyers they reach, have the option to list your book. Some will do it right away. Others? Not so much.
And historically, libraries are ALWAYS the longest approval times and it's been hit or miss for me. Those can take upwards of several months at a time (I had one that took over half a year to appear in one of the library systems, either Hoopla or Overdrive, I can't recall).
So what I do is after a launch, I set a time every Friday to check the links (usually takes about 15-30 minutes per book). I'll check for up to three months after a launch, but after that, I just leave it go. It's not THAT important to have every single option available. haha
I really need to do a full tutorial of Books2Read. That's only ONE feature they have. The part I like most about B2R is something I totally forgot to mention: affiliate links. When you provide your affiliate ID to B2R (i.e., Amazon, Apple, Kobo, etc.), they'll put that automatically on your link in the background. And yes, it's 100% safe and compliant with affiliate programs. Will you make a LOT from including it? No, but I don't think anyone will complain about getting paid more per book, right? haha
Yeah, I think I talked myself into doing a tutorial. Stay tuned! haha And thanks for the question/good idea. 🙏
I wonder if it's possible to put a live external URL in a B2R book page? Have to try!
Give it a shot (I’ve tried before and failed).
Good informative article. I've used D2D for eBooks for a few years now and am very happy with it. I didn't like the print side of it, though, due to cost issues, so I have used Amazon exclusively for print instead.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I unpublished my books on there. I don't like the double-dipping concept i.e. commission payment plus subscription. I don’t want other retailers/distributors to follow suit because poorer authors will be priced out as the subscription price increases.
thanks for such a great overview. While the 10 dollar fee is low and understabdable, at the time, the 10 dollar fee felt like a slap in the face. I'm struggling to make a profit and it just got harder.
This helps.
It did come from outta nowhere, so it wasn’t a fun announcement for some.